Man charged with murdering teen outside of Renton Big 5 Sporting Goods pleads not guilty

Aaron Brown Myers of Newcastle, 51, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges in connection with the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy outside of a Renton sporting goods store on June 5.

Myers, who faces a second-degree murder charge, is accused of shooting Hazrat Ali Rohani seven times following a confrontation in the parking lot of the Big 5 Sporting Goods store on Grady Way. Rohani, who was attempting to return a malfunctioning airsoft gun to the store, was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Myers, a security guard who was off duty at the time of the confrontation, had approached Rohani and his friends after seeing the airsoft gun and assuming they intended to commit an armed robbery, according to court documents.

"Rather than calling 911 or waiting for any evidence at all that could confirm or deny his assumption, he claimed he had a 'duty to intervene' and did so," King County prosecutors wrote in charging documents. "The defendant exited his vehicle, pointed his own very real firearm at the three teenagers, and rapidly approached them."

In a statement provided to KUOW on June 12, Myers' attorneys said he'd acted out of fear for his life.

"We are confident that over the course of this investigation the evidence will show that Mr. Myers’ only intent that day was to protect himself and others from serious harm or death,” the statement reads.

Myers also faces a second-degree assault charge in connection with his alleged attempt to apprehend another teen during the confrontation.

Myers' bail was set at $2 million, an ask prosecutors made citing "the likelihood that the defendant will fail to appear in response to a summons and that he may commit a violent offense."